PRISA Executive Director, Adele Paulsen, elected to Board of Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management

At the recent Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA) annual general meeting in Helsinki, Adele Paulsen, Executive Director of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) was elected as a regional delegate to represent Africa and South Africa and serve on the new 2013/2014 Global Alliance Executive Board.

Paulsen has been recognised for her outstanding contribution and commitment to both PRISA and the profession, notably through her work with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), which has officially recognised PRISA as the professional body for the public relations industry in South Africa.

Said Professor Anne Gregory, Chair of Global Alliance, “We are delighted to welcome Adele onto the Board. She is the Executive Director of one of our most active member Associations and brings with her a wealth of experience. In particular her knowledge of working in a dynamic and fast growing economy and her expertise about Africa will enhance the work of the Global Alliance in that continent. Africa is a place of increasing opportunities for public relations and one of our priorities over the next two years is to work with our colleagues on that continent to ensure the Global Alliance can offer the support they need. Adele’s expertise will be invaluable in shaping that support. “

A founding member of the Global Alliance since 2002, PRISA has played an active part in both the Stockholm Accords and the Melbourne Mandate and will now embark as a local pioneer to lead the first global GAP (Generally Accepted Practices) study in South Africa and Africa, together with a community of expert practitioners and key role players at the University of Pretoria.

Set to commence within the next month, the world’s first ongoing study of public relations and communication management practice is a partnership between the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management and the Strategic Communication and Public Relations Centre at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The global survey will allow each participating country to customise the questionnaire to be country specific, in order to obtain pertinent information about the local public relations and communication management industry, including trends, new developments and current practices. The survey will provide a global benchmark based on each country’s data, as well as a comparative analysis of the practices among the various countries, including Canada, Brazil and Australia.

Paulsen and the PRISA Education, Training and Research Committee will lead the South African segment of the GAP Study together with experts from the University of Pretoria. Their key responsibilities include creating awareness of the Global Alliance GAP Study both in South Africa and Africa and encouraging all members to participate.

Data collected from this study will prove invaluable from a global perspective, forming part of a global benchmark. In identifying key specialisation areas and examining major issues affecting the profession locally, the study will also assist in charting the current professional landscape and developing a comprehensive South African model.

Paulsen’s 18 years of experience in the industry and two decades of active contribution to PRISA, coupled with her global perspective and her expertise gained in working with the Global Alliance since its inception, will be invaluable to this study. "Being elected to serve on the Global Alliance Executive Board is a great honour that has been bestowed upon me and I am proud to represent South Africa as we undertake the first public relations and communication management practice global study of its kind. I plan to serve my term admirably and to add considerable value to the public relations profession, to the Global Alliance and to South Africa,” concludes Paulsen.